Waiting For God To Direct

Moses effort to stop discrimination against the Hebrews resulted in him fleeing to the Midianites on the east side of the Gulf of Aqaba to avoid being killed by the Egyptians.  He would make that his home and remain for forty years.  Exodus 2:16-22 describes how he came to stay.  “Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father's flock.  And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock.  And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day?

And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock.

And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread.

And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter.  And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.”

Moses resented injustice for anyone and when he saw the girls being taken advantage of, he stood up for them.  Their father invited him to come and work for him and he married one of the girls, and spent the next forty years herding sheep in what is now the western edge of Saudi Arabia.  He had given up hope of freeing the Israelites from Egypt. 

Before, the Israelites had been resentful but not desperate for freedom, but Pharaoh’s son was even worse than Pharaoh had been.  The Jews became desperate for an end to the abuse, as Exodus 2:23-25 tells us.  “And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.  And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.  And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.”  While they probably thought he had forgotten them, God was preparing Moses to lead them out of slavery.

Moses had been very impatient, wanting the people to follow him immediately when he killed the Egyptian.   As my Dad put it, Moses spent forty years in “Sheep Herder University,” learning patience and how to lead.  When you rush sheep they panic, running away.  Moses had to learn to gain their confidence so they would follow him to new pastures and into places they had never been.  The Egyptians despised people who herded sheep because they found it frustrating to have to wait on the sheep.  They wanted to use taskmasters and drive to people rather than considering their desires.  Unfortunately, many would be leaders today have that driving mentality and spend much of their time trying to get their people to follow.  When Moses had learned what he needed to learn from the sheep, he was ready to lead Israel, so God directed him back to Egypt.

God used a burning bush to get Moses’ attention so he could tell him where to go, In Exodus 3:1-3.  “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.  And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.” 

Herding sheep, one normally travels less than two miles per hour.  It should have burned up long before he got close.  The fact that it had not aroused his curiosity, giving God the opportunity to send him back to Egypt to free the slaves, as Exodus 3:4-10 describes.  “And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.

And he said, Here am I.

And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.  Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.  And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.  Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”

For forty years, Moses had largely forgotten his own people, but God had not.  Now they were serious about wanting to be free even if it meant giving up the benefits they had enjoyed in Egypt.  Moses remembered the response when he tried the first time and asked why things would be different now.  God explained that this time he would be going in God’s power rather than his own, in Exodus 3:11-12.  “And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. “  The proof that it was God who was leading would be that they would come back to the very same place to serve God.  God did not call Moses to lead the people until both Moses and the people were ready.    In the meantime, Moses was focused on living the life God had given him.  He had no clue that God was using it to prepare him to lead Israel.  Instead of rushing into things like Moses did the first time, we need to learn to wait and allow God to lead us when he is ready.